‘Readers Guide: Robert J. Oppenheimer: a Life Inside the Center’ at Oak Ridge Library

Nearly 70 years ago, the Allied push into Western Europe began with the opening salvo called D-Day. Despite clashes of egos and disagreements, the forces steadfastly battled the German war machine for 11 months to finally end Hitler’s hold on the continent. In “The Guns of Last Light” (940.542) Rick Atkinson masterfully brings to its conclusions his award-winning trilogy on the liberation of Europe.

Nearly 70 years ago, the Allied push into Western Europe began with the opening salvo called D-Day. Despite clashes of egos and disagreements, the forces steadfastly battled the German war machine for 11 months to finally end Hitler’s hold on the continent. In “The Guns of Last Light” (940.542) Rick Atkinson masterfully brings to its conclusions his award-winning trilogy on the liberation of Europe.

While some critics believe Dan Brown’s writing has improved since his previous novel “The Lost Symbol,” others say “Inferno,” his latest, is just more of the same. Whatever you think, symbologist Robert Langdon’s latest adventure will take you through the back ways of Florence, Venice and Constantinople in search of a villain who plans to cull out the human race by setting loose a terrible disease. The clues are buried in Dante’s classic “Inferno,” discernable only to the clever Langdon and a mysterious and beautiful young doctor.

Khaled Hosseini’s long anticipated third novel once again centers on betrayal and redemption as it unfolds the story of an Afghani family torn apart. “And the Mountains Echoed” begins with the story of 10-year-old Abdullah and his 3-year-old sister Pari as she is sold by their father to a wealthy family in Kabu. Abdullah had been Pari’s chief caregiver, and he is heartbroken. This simple yet terrible act of survival will resonate far into the years to come for both the family and the people they encounter.

There have been several excellent biographies written about J. Robert Oppenheimer over the last few years. The newest one is by Ray Monk. While he focuses on the scientist’s time spearheading the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb, Monk also highlights Oppenheimer’s lesser known, but equally important contributions to nuclear physics. In “Robert J. Oppenheimer: a Life Inside the Center” (530.092), the author presents a fresh new portrait of this brilliant and conflicted man.

At the heart of Isabel Allende’s latest novel is Maya Nidal, who was raised by her beloved grandparents in modern day Berkeley. While Maya loves and respects her fiery grandmother Nini, a Chilean refugee, it is Popo, Nini’s second husband, who is her touchstone. When he dies, Maya loses her way and ends up in Las Vegas where she becomes the target of corrupt cops, drug lords, and the FBI. Fearing for her granddaughter’s life, Nini puts Maya in the care of her old friend Manuel, an anthropologist who is studying the natives on the remote Chilean island Chiloe. There, the girl regains her footing and her life — a transformation she records in “Maya’s Notebook.”

Ex-lawyer Jamie Ivey and his wife Tanya left the hurly-burly of London behind for the slower, sunnier pace of Provence. There, awaiting the birth of their first child, the Iveys fall in love with an affordable piece of land that has oak trees and, possibly, truffles on it — all they need is a house and a truffle-hunting dog. Cat lover Ivey recounts the fun they had maneuvering through French red tape as they set out to build a home while training Snuffles, their Petit Chen Lion puppy, in “Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog” (944.900).